Azerbaijan: Students boycott classes over hijab restrictions

Meanwhile, Azerbaijan's capital, Baku, and other regions are witnessing protests due to the introduction of a strict school dress code last month. Now, the new rules effectively ban the wearing of hijabs and religious head coverings in educational institutions to uphold secular principles of education. Schoolgirls, parents, and supportive classmates they took to the streets. They boycotted classes and held up signs with slogans such as the hijab is no obstacle to education. Meanwhile, some teachers held classes outdoors. According to local media, during the protest, the car of a school principal was set on fire in Baku. No one was injured, but Azerbaijan's Interior Ministry has also reported an attempt by students and a previously convicted man to set fire to a school in the capital's Yasamal district. The ministry said that as a result of police action, the suspect previously convicted, Makhamet Ismailov, along with five other individuals, who were students in the 10th and 11th grades of the same school, they were detained on October 12th. The developments come and this is happening in September as Azerbaijan amended regulations governing uniforms in state schools, prohibiting additional clothing that conflicts with the prescribed uniform or the secular principles of education. The amendment, however, does not mention the hijab explicitly. According to local reports, students demonstrated outside schools on Monday and boycotted lessons in solidarity with girls who were allegedly denied entry for wearing the Islamic headscarves. As of October 12, police had announced 37 arrests linked to unrest over uniform rules. Now, it must be noted that about 96% of Azerbaijan's population identifies as Muslim. Its constitution defines the country as secular while also guaranteeing religious freedom. According to the report, the new rule states that clothes that reflect the history, culture and national and moral values of the Azerbaijani people, They may be worn for celebrations pending approval by the Pedagogical Council, which operates under the Ministry of Science and Education. Such clothing ensures that teachers reflect professional standards and still will have positive effects on the school's public reputation. Separately, reports suggest that a social media campaign followed by protests also spread to Turkey. Some drew parallels between the developments in Azerbaijan and Turkey's post-modern coup in 1997. Demonstrators last week gathered outside Azerbaijan's consulate in Istanbul to protest the restrictions affecting Muslim women, calling on authorities in Baku to reconsider the decision.